The Lucky One
by MaryLouJan
Summary: After coming home from war, Jane lands in Tennessee to find herself again and the love of her life? Its AU and influenced by the film "The Lucky One"
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Folks, me again, but this time with an AU. I had this idea a while now and now I started it. It's influenced by the movie "The Luck One" but with a little bit more drama and hurt. Let me know what you think of it. As always enjoy. Mary**

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In the year 2011 President Obama had been confident in achieving his plan for bringing back the remaining soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. One year later he had fought for it in his election campaign and won. In the year 2013 the last troops overseas will come home to their wives, their children, their friends. To a life they should have lived.

Over 2000 wounded Soldiers from all troops, Navy, Army and Marines, had come home that year. Some only with a nervous breakdown after seeing hell on earth others with more severe wounds. Wounds that could have easily been lethal.

Lieutenant Jane Rizzoli had been one of them, one of the severe wounded soldiers.

When she had joined the United States Marines Corps it had been to protect her younger brother Tommy. She had just finished the police academy and started off as a rookie, when Tommy had decided to join the Marines. Their mother had begged him not to, but as the screw up of the family, like he used to call himself, he had wanted to do one thing right in his life, one thing his family would be proud off. Nobody in the family thought it would turn out into a nightmare.

It had been their third turn, a leave for three month, stationed in Kandahar. They just were send there as reconnaissance troop, to help the ISAF, a humanitarian troop. But everything turned out in a disaster. On their way to the station a suicide bomber had attacked Lt. Rizzoli's team. The first car blew up in an instant. The three Marines died on impact. She and her brother had been in the second Humvee. Her brother had been wounded and she had been taken by the rest of the group that had attacked them. She had been unconscious when they had kidnapped an US citizen.

When she had woken, they had first questioned her. It was a group of very paranoid ex Al-Qaida members, who had thought Lt. Rizzoli's troops had been on a deadly mission. But when they had gotten no useful information it turned into torture.

About six month later she had been found during a raid in the small village she had been hold. A young boy, who was recruited as her caretaker, had told one of the passing army troops that one of their own was held in a small wrecked house outside the village.

Her rescue had turned into a three hour fight with a bombing of a cruise missile and the destruction of her prison.

But she had survived, after almost 6 month of torture and being buried under tons of bricks and steel they had found her, alive.

They had flown her directly to Ramstein, Germany, to get her the best medical care possible. And she needed it. Due to the bombing, she had severe burns on the whole left side of her body. The even needed to transplant from her right leg and her back to save her arm. Her left leg had been crushed under the amount of cement; they couldn't save it. So she became an over knee amputee. Her head injury was as severe as everything else. She had an extreme swelling and a bleeding, so they had to open her up. After cutting of her leg, saving her left chest side and her left arm Jane remained two month and 25 days in a coma. Time to at least heal for the other wounds she had sustained, like whiplashes welts cigarette and electroshock burns. Her whole body was mangled. She would have scars all over her body. They had even scarred her beautiful face by cutting from her left eye over her cheek to the chin.

Her brothers and her mother had come to Germany, as soon as they had heard from Jane's rescue. It had been a horrible sight for them. Tommy hadn't noticed her and he was the last one who had seen her. Angela had cried almost every day and blamed her youngest son for Jane's misery. Francesco "Frankie" Rizzoli, a broker on the Wall Street had returned after one week sitting next to his comatose sister. He hadn't been in the army, he had no idea how it was for Tommy or Jane so he had felt left out and had returned to his wife and two sons.

After a month Angela had had to return back to the states. There was a house to be looked after and a job to work. So Tommy had been the first person Jane had seen after waking up in an unfamiliar surroundings. She had panicked because of the tube that still helped her breathing, because of the beeping noises, because of the white light, and most of all because of the pain. Tommy had tried to calm her down but it was valium that had calmed her until she had drifted back to sleep. It took her two more days to come fully around.

She hadn't spoken a word to her brother only to let him know to leave her alone and go back to the States. Tommy had refused but after upsetting his sister with his decision he had been told by the doctors to grant her that wish if it only would help her. So Tommy had left his big sister alone and returned to his mother without her. Another promise he had broken.

After another week and further tests Jane was cleared for her flight back to a military hospital in the US. She had to attend physical therapy and psychological therapy after going through all those traumatic events in the last past 9 month. She refused to speak for the first 4 weeks and was just pumped up with haloperidol and valium because she had been a danger to herself at day and nighttime. It had taken her over 3 month to accept the fact that she now was an amputee who had to wear a prosthesis. She never once watched herself in mirrors and after shattering every single one within her reach the therapists had ordered the nurses to remove the remaining. All of her family had come to visit her but she had refused to see them.

Her physical wounds had healed and turned into scars. The skin transplantation and the seven surgeries she had to have had saved her arm and the scarring hadn't turned out as bad as promised. The scar in her face was significant but didn't lessen her beauty. The welts, lashes and burns also had scarred. Her stump had healed perfectly and she had adjusted on walking with a prosthesis. She was to proud to use a wheelchair.

After half a year of physical therapy, rehab and shrinks, like she used to call them, Jane had been free to leave. But where to go? She hadn't been around many people in over a year, she was used to be alone. So she decided in the summer of 2012 to travel through the states. She knew she couldn't go back to her old life. After an honorable discharge, something nobody would have denied, she left the US. Marines hospital in New Orleans and started off with everything she had. Her combat dress, a couple of dollars and the gifts from patients and nurses she had gotten over the past seven month.

At the bus station she looked where she could get with the couple of dollars she had.

"Excuse me." she asked the bus driver.

"Yes Ma'am." he answered and turned to look at her. The sharp intake of his breath made Jane blush with embarrassment.

"I..." she looked up and straight into his wide eyes. "What's your destination?" Jane asked and grabbed her duffle back pack.

"Oh, hm, I'm headed to Detroit. Where do you wanna go?" the black man asked, now a little calmer.

Jane counted her dollars . "67 dollars. That's where I can go" she said and smiled at him. He laughed and signed her to get on the bus.

Jane grabbed her cane she had leaned against the bus and slowly made her way up the four stairs. Eugene, the bus driver, watched Jane carefully as she struggled up the stairs but was too polite to say something. He knew better then to ask the soldiers he had met in his time as a driver, what had happened to them. It was too obvious the most times.

"Well then your destination is Nashville, Tennessee." laughed and closed the door behind Jane.

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I**'m most definitely responsible for all of the mistakes because here in Germany most people are in bed and sleep but I'm one of those who watch the Super Bowl live.**

**If, and only if you liked the start of this story, then you tell me and in the next chapter you gonna meet Maura Isles, single mother of a daughter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here I am again. Sorry but my muse was blocked by chemistry. I just passed my first exam, so there hadn't been so much time. And math is also waiting to get settled in my brain^^ I'm not quite satisfied with this chapter, so let me know what you think. As always enjoy. Mary**

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Chapter 2

If you were one of those to be befriended with Maur Isles you could count yourself lucky. She not only was a sophisticated young woman but she also was warm and gentle towards every living creature, if she trusted. And that was exactly her problem, there were only two people she trusted in her life. Her grandmother Louise and her daughter Emma. Animals, she cured and housed on her farm outside of a small village in Tennessee where her only friends, creatures she often talked to. Her grandmother knew her very well and the whole situation she had been through. The people of Ashland City thought of her as odd. They didn't understand when the son of the major had proposed to her and later married her. They also gave her the fault for his entry in the army and his later death while being stationed in Iraq. Nobody knew what had happened on the farm except for the Isles' and the Kennedy's.

When Maura had been twenty years old she just had finished college and decided to go on a three month field trip through some states in the east before her study for veterinary medicine started. So she had ended up in this small town travelling through and falling in love with Jack, the very handsome and charming son of major Phillip Kennedy. And from that on everything went down. She had only planned on staying for the rest of her vacation time but being young and naive changed everything.

After staying at Jack's and fooling around in the summer month' on their farm something happened she'd never expected. She got pregnant. Only having her grandmother living in San Francisco and her parents deceased in a car accident she had no real system behind her and so, to the disgrace of Major Kennedy, Jack and Maura married in the same year. So Maura had to give up all her plans to be get a successful vet had been crushed by one mistake. In the following April a sweet little girl had been born, Emma. It was the only thing that held Maura alive. She wasn't one person to be a stay at home mommy and just be responsible for the household. In fact, she hated it. And so the marriage of them went down the gutter in a very short time. Maura had been depressed and unlucky all the time and Jack had been angry about her misbehavior. She had been his wife for Christ sake so she had to full fill her duties.

At first Maura had fought him, every time he tried to have sex against her will, but he was stronger than her and after what felt like the hundredth time she resigned, gave up and let him do with her whatever he wanted. Nobody noticed the bruises and scratches whenever she went into to town do some shopping. They all thought she deserved it. She was a girl from the big city and that's exactly how they all saw her, some spoiled little girl with no life experience. So it had been Jack's right to educated her in the right ways and he was the major's son, so you didn't even breath in a wrong way towards him.

Maura had been only a shell of herself at that time, just caring for her daughter, to keep her save. She even had attempted to flew one night. Her bags had been packed and everything had been ready but Jack had come home to early, as if he had known something was off. It ended up in a severe beating and rape and two days in the cellar to get her lesson learned. After that she simply obeyed to minimize the threats against her and her daughter. She started writing diary after that and kept it hidden from her husband. She needed someone, something to tell what was going on on the inside of hers, otherwise she simple would have committed suicide. But she couldn't leave her daughter with that monster. So she needed to be strong for the only precious thing in her life. Emma was a clever girl, she knew that her daddy wasn't a good man and obeyed him as much as her mother did, just to reduce the violence towards her mother.

In the year when Emma had turned six years old, Jack decided to join the army. He knew Maura wouldn't run off because the whole town had an eye on her and she was to afraid of the consequences if she tried to run again. She was relieved when he shortly after absolving his primary training he was called in for a trip overseas. It had been the first time since she had gotten pregnant to be able to breathe freely. But it wasn't for long, only after four weeks her had returned, injured of course. A bullet wound to the thigh. Unfortunately the horror started over again as he demanded being taken care of in every way. For Maura the time of his recovery had been hell on earth but she just sucked it up, for Emma.

When Jack decided to return only a year later on another overseas deployment she was so grateful to be once be left again by her husband. Maura had never been a cruel one or a religious one but she had actually prayed to God to let her husband be killed. Every day she had prayed. She even had sought help from the priest and had gone to confession to relief her guilty conscience.

It had only taken three weeks for her to get notified that her husband had died in the line of duty. When she had opened the telegraph she had cried happy tears, she had laughed, but she had not once mourned for his death. She hadn't attended to the funeral. Had started renovating their farm and turned it into a vet station and a kennel. Everybody wanted to get rid of her after Jack ha died but she had bought the land around her farm and some crafts animals and made herself a wonderful and nice home. When she had entered the university for vet again she had gotten herself a car and called her grandmother to live with her. And fortunately her Nona had agreed to sell her house in San Francisco and move in with her granddaughter. In fact both of them had been a great team. They had rebuilt everything in a short time and Maura had been able to visit med school.

Phillip Kennedy had resigned from his position as major only two years after his eldest son had died. The people of Ashland City had changed their behavior towards Maura but she never forgave them for what they had done, or better say, not had done to her.

After only three years, because of private studies over the last years, she had finished her study with suma cum laude and opened her vet office on her farm. She had no grudge against the people of Ashland City, but being the only vet in a twenty mile radius made her a the only venue for those of Ashland City who owned pets or craft animals. She earned good money she saved for her daughters education fund and always could work on adjustments for the house.

So today was Emma's eleventh birthday and all her friends from school were on the farm. Maura enjoyed the company of children more than from adults due to her experience but she was now more open than just a year ago. It felt good to have her Nona and her daughter with her and she had forsworn men. Louise had told her to give it time to let her wounds heal but Maura wasn't able to ever trust a man aging.

"You're ready for some fresh lemonade and cake?" Maura asked as she stepped on the front porch overseeing the garden littered with toys. She never had thought that she once would have a happy birthday for her daughter. She chuckled when her daughter and five other girls came running up to her squealing and rushing inside.

"You know." Louise said and touched Maura on her lower back. "She really is an angel." Maura turned around and smiled at her Nona. She knew exactly what she meant.

"I know, she is the only good thing that came from him." she smiled sad and went over to the kitchen table.

"So who of you would like some chocolate cake?"

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**As you can imagine, Emma is a little Maura-me^^**

**I hope you are satisfied^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. I know it took me longer than I thought but my private life and university took away my muse, but she returned last night^^. So I hope you all enjoy this. Mary.**

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Chapter 3

It was a weird feeling being out of the hospital for good. Not that she had been allowed to leave it on the weekends to visit her family or her comrades but Jane had refused to leave. She was so out for getting everything past that she requested not to get visitors or leave.

Now Jane was walking along a river. It wasn't a big one like the Mississippi but it could be called a river though. Sweat had formed on her forehead and was running down her back from exertion but she refused to take a break.

After leaving the bus station in Nashville she had grabbed a map from the tourist center and looked out for the next train rail or river. It always took you somewhere. So she started to follow the rail line until it crossed with a river. To come through Nashville wasn't that hard. It wasn't a million people city and reading maps to find an out wasn't something she had forgot. She had been used to getting asked for a ride by several cars driving by her rout but she had always declined. She knew what they saw in her. A veteran, a hero. But nothing of that fitted Jane Rizzoli. She self thought of her as a coward. She couldn't save her comrades life's over there. She shouldn't be treated with respect and kindness.

After over half a day of walking she decided that it was a time for a break. The bus ticket had only been sixty dollars, so she had been able to get some food and water for the next two days. When Jane passed the river on the rail line, she decided to follow the river. She knew, from the map that it would take her back to Nashville or to a small town called Ashland City. So it was obvious that she was headed westbound. After the sun had crashed and she could see the stars in the sky above her she decided to rest for the night. It also seemed difficult to walk with the prosthesis through undergrowth. So she made a small fire to get a little warm, grabbed her filthy blanket and covered herself as good as possible. She didn't take off her prosthesis though which was to be a big mistake.

The next morning Jane was woken by the sun streaming through the trees dancing on her tanned skin. She stretched herself, yawned loudly and got up to grab all her belongings. The deer, she hadn't even noticed only a few yards from her stormed off caused by Jane's sudden movements. She smiled to herself packed away her blanket and got up, ignoring the sharp pain in her residual limp. She had suffered long from phantom limp pain, so she shrugged it off as exactly this.

It was beautiful day and Jane enjoyed the freedom being alone for the first time in over a year. She took her time to let her gaze wander over the beautiful landscape she passed while traveling along the river. When the sun stood high upon her she decided for a break and a short nap. She really was exhausted from all exertion by walking all day long.

When she came around she noticed the pain was growing stronger and a sheen of sweat had spread on her forehead. She just shook her head, cursed herself for being such a wimp and got up. She had to make it to the next town. She needed money. And there for she needed work. So she gritted her teeth and limped along the river.

The sun had started declining and a cold wind blew around Jane when she came by a farm. The lights were off and she cursed. But then she noticed a barn, well one of the barns and she made her way over to it. She tiptoed, as possible as it was, past the big oak in the center of the yard across the set up playground into the barn.

She silently closed the door and looked around. She smiled and shook her head. It wasn't the one you stored your machines and tools but the animals, to be exact, horses. She could make out at least 5 boxes with horses. So she decided to enter the last one on the left side assuming that it was empty. She entered it, let her duffle back pack fall to the ground and was startled when a warm wet thing touched her arm. She turned around and chuckled when she saw a filly standing next to her.

"So you live here." she whispered and petted the filly's head. "Mind if I crash here tonight?" she asked and sat down in the warm hay. The filly dropped next to Jane and nudged her arm with its head. She smiled and started stroke the filly's soft fur until she dozed off.

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The Parker's pregnant mare had started to foal early this morning and it took Maura and Louise the whole day to get her filly out. It hadn't been a complicated birth at all but the little one had took his time to make an arrival. Emma had come from school early because Miss Henderson had been called in sick. She had joined her mother shortly after dropping of her school bag at home. She liked helping her mother out and it was her dream to become a animal doctor when she grown, like her mother.

It was after eight o'clock in the evening when the three Isles women came home, exhausted and starving.

"Emma, would you mind feeding the horses? They hadn't anything since this morning." her Nana said and prepped some sandwiches, while Maura cleaned her tools.

"'Corse." Emma piped in and hopped from the kitchen counter to take off to the barn. She was out of sight when her mother, toweling her hands, stepped on the porch and added "And please tell me how the filly is." Maura chuckled when she heard her daughter squeal in consent.

"I'm so glad that the Parker's mare didn't die on me today" Maura sighed and dropped on one of the chairs. Louise placed a mug of tea in front of her. "Supper is ready any minute."

Outside, Emma entered the barn with a bucket full of apples and carrots and switched on the lights. The three stallions and the two mares where standing in their boxes all glancing at the little girl with the bucket. She entered every box carefully, like her mother had taught her, and poured some of the food into the big feeding dishes. When she entered the last box to give the filly the remains she suddenly dropped the bucket and suppressed a scream. She backed against the wall and slowly, not to startle the sleeping woman in front of her, exit the box to take off towards the house.

"Mommy" she screamed as she run over the yard towards the porch. The two women exit the house startled by that scream. Emma stopped in front of her mother.

"Mommy" she said, trying to catch her breath. "There is a woman in the box with Lilly." Lilly was Emma's name for the little filly one of the mares had given birth to weeks ago. Maura looked down at her daughter in misbelieve and then at her grandmother.

"What do you mean a woman?" Maura asked and let the little girl drag her to the barn.

"She is in the box with Lilly and she is, I think, sleeping." Emma explained excited about her discovery. Maura only frowned and stepped into the still enlightened barn.

"Just be careful dear." Louise whispered behind her. "Maybe she is dangerous."

"Well she looks like daddy when he came back..." Emma said and looked up to her mother. "She is a soldier." the little girl said matter-o-factly and pointed her finger at the last stall.

Maura, still taken aback by her daughters words about her father, shook her head and went straight to the last stall and opened its door. What she saw was pleasant and shocking at the same time. In front of her lay a beautiful dark haired woman in her combat dress curled up next to the filly slightly trembling.

"She didn't wake up when I entered." Emma said from behind her mother. Maura crouched down in front of the woman and gently touched her leg.

"Excuse me Miss." she said slightly shaking the beautiful woman. Maura immediately noticed that something was wrong. She shook her again but this time more forcefully. "Miss." she tried once again. She stepped a little closer to the sleeping form only to notice the heat radiating from her and the sweaty forehead. She turned around to Louise.

"We have to get her to the house." Maura said and shooed the filly away from the soldier. The older women stepped in front of Emma to enter the stall.

"What's the matter she asked her granddaughter not very pleased with the idea of a stranger in the house.

"This woman has a fever , a high one. We need to help her." Maura said and grabbed the shoulders of the woman to role her onto her back. She gasped at what she saw. A angry red but fading scar from her left eye over her cheek to the chin. The woman groaned in discomfort and Maura mentioned for her grandmother to help.

Louise grabbed the soldier in her back of her knees only to notice something hard and cold through the material of the pants. She shook her head and the two woman carried her slowly out of the stall.

"Emma, please open the front door, clear the bed in the guest bedroom and get me some cold water and fresh towels, would you honey?" Maura asked her daughter and the little girl took off.

Louise and Maura slowly carried the limp woman into the bedroom and placed her in the bed. Emma had done as she had been told and cleaned the sheets. Louise stood at the end of the bed and observed the woman in front of her. She definitely was a soldier, a marines, now she saw the combat dress in better light and an injured one as well, she thought looking at the scar in that woman's face. Maura unbuttoned the shirt to reveal a white t shirt underneath, soaked through by sweat.

"Nana help me undress her." Maura said without turning around.

"Why do you undress her at all?" Louise asked still skeptical about the stranger appearance. She loved her granddaughter for her great heart but that got her in trouble for more than one time. Maura turned around at her frowning.

"I know what you think, but this woman needs help and this isn't just a cold that causes this fever. Maybe she's injured or was some time ago and it didn't heal properly..." Maura trailed off as she noticed her Nona's features soften.

"Okay." she said and took a seat on the other side of the bed. The both slowly started to undress the unconscious woman. Emma came back with clean towels and a bowl of cold water. She placed it on the bedside table only to get her mother's doctor's bag. Although Maura was a veterinarian she knew she could help this woman.

When She had peeled her out of the Jacket she gasped at what she could only describe as perfectly healed burn scars. She slightly let her fingers linger over the left arm. The woman trembled under the touch and Maura pulled away. Louise had just finished with the right boot when she turned to the left. She pulled up the trouser and gasped in shock. What she saw was a steal prosthesis. Maura had turned around only to manage the same reaction.

"Oh my..." she whispered and she and her grandmother managed to get the boots and the pants of the still trembling and whimpering woman.

Maura immediately knew where the fever came from. If she recalled correct, at least that's how it was with animals, if a residual limp wasn't healed properly and you wore the prosthesis longer than a day, there was a risk of infection.

"That poor thing." Louise said as she had pealed of the pants completely. What they saw shocked them a little bit. That woman was an above knee amputee with burn scars and a facial scar. She must have endured a lot in this ridicules war. Maura touched the upper left thigh and started to undo the prosthesis.

"Could you..." she said and Louise understood right away. She peeled of the shirt off the raven-haired women only to reveal more burn scars. She just shook her head. This war was so cruel. How could she had survived all of this, she asked herself not really believing in God.

Maura noticed and squeezed her eyes shout. How much pain this woman must have been in she thought and placed the now freed and angry red limb back on the bed. She knew it.

"Could you get me an IV and some antibiotics." she said to the older woman not looking up.

"But those are for animals. She is..." but Maura cut her off.

"You can use them on any kind of living, the dose is important. And she needs fluids." Louise nodded and left the room only to come back with an IV bag, a syringe and the antibiotics.

While Louise smeared some cream on the red scar on the limb and dressing it with a bandage, Maura set the IV and gave her a dose of medication. The woman whimpered under the unknown touch but didn't wake at all. When they were finished Louise gathered their stuff together but stopped at the door.

"I'm gonna get Emma to bed you should eat something." she said and gently touched Maura's shoulder on her way out. Yes she would eat when she knew this woman wasn't in any discomfort anymore. She pulled the sheets up to the chin and renewed the cold washcloth on the woman's forehead. Maura gently stroke her cheek and leaned back in her old rocking chair. Who was this poor woman and what story was written on her mangled body? Maura sighed and closed her eyes. Maybe she was soon to find out.

"Sleep tight." she whispered.

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**You know the drill. Reviews^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Folks, here is another one. Maura and jane finally meet each other... Oh and there is a flashback but nothing to harsh yet. The really heavy triggering stuff comes later. I know it isn't that long but: As always enjoy. Mary**

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Chapter 4

_It was dark and cold. Everything hurt, especially her back. _

_They repeatedly had whipped her to get information from her. But she didn't understand, she didn't knew what they wanted to know. When she heard the shuffling of footsteps she curled up some more to protect herself. She only had a small blanket for covering because they had stripped her naked to the beginning. _

_And it was so cold. So cold._

_When the y opened the door she could make out three men entering her small prison. She whimpered. She didn't knew what was to come only that it was combined with pain. One of the three grabbed her by her hair and pulled her over to the stone basin._

_"B__rchâstn" he yelled at her. She only screamed when he pulled her harder. It was as if her scalp would come off._

"_Esmet chie?"_ _he asked her but she had no idea what he wanted. He shoved her over to the basin and __dumped her head into the stone cold water. Grabbing her enemy's hand trying to pull herself free from his grip she gasped for air, only to swallow water. Then she was pulled out._

_"Chi kâr inja mikoni?" one of the men asked again. But she only tried to catch her breath. When Jane didn't answer she once again was pushed into the basin and the cold water hit her once again._

She bolted up, trying to catch her breath. Sweat on her forehead, an... IV in her hand? She was sure she had left the hospital two days ago but wasn't so sure anymore. She blinked several times, still panting from her nightmare. Looking around she noticed she was in a... bedroom? How did I got here?

"Hey, you are awake." she heard an angelic voice next to her. She turned her head and looked at a beautiful looking honey blond woman in a rocking chair only covered by a thin blanket. Fear crept up in her but she tried to keep it at bay.

"Who, what... where..." She tried to gather her thoughts but they still were foggy. She blinked several times and sat up against the headboard, trembling. Then she noticed her prosthesis missing. She pulled back her blanket and revealed her bandaged limb. Maura reached for her but the raven haired woman only flinched back. Fear present in her eyes.

"I'm sorry... My name is Maura Isles. We found you in the barn, unconscious with a high fever." she said sitting up straight. The dark haired woman only nodded slowly remembering.

"You took of my clothes" the older woman whispered embarrassed knowing how her body looked like. Maura noticed the woman's discomfort and smiled at her.

"Yes, I'm sorry but we didn't know what was wrong with you and I thought, knowing you are a soldier, you may be injured and..." she trailed off knowing she was rambling. She blushed slightly and mumbled "I'm sorry." The dark haired woman smiled slightly and nodded. "It's okay. Thank you."

She touched her arm and looked up the IV bag hanging from a nail above the bed.

"I gave you some fluids and antibiotics, your stump seemed infected..." Maura said and looked at her hands. Somehow she felt intrigued by the woman in her guest bed but she couldn't place any feeling right now. She only knew she wanted to get her known better. Or at least her name.

"May I..." Maura started and for the first time looked into deep brown eyes. "ask what your name is?" The dark haired woman shook her head and smiled.

"Of course, how stupid." she mumbled. "My name is Jane Rizzoli." she answered and settled a little more into the bed. She was exhausted. Her limb hurt and she was hot and cold at the same time. She looked over the room and found her duffle bag. Relieved she let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Everything was still there, all her belongings and her prosthesis. Maura cleared her throat.

"I'm gonna let you sleep, its only after midnight." Maura said and stood. Jane only nodded and mumbled her thanks covering herself completely under the blankets. She didn't even notice Maura renewing the cold washcloth on her forehead. She smiled down at Jane Rizzoli knowing that her dreams would be about the beautiful stranger.

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"Mommy, wake up!"

The beautiful sound of her daughters yelling and the footsteps around her room let Maura slowly open her eyes. It was Saturday, that she was sure of. She glanced at her alarm on the bedside table. 08:12. With a groan she rolled on her back and buried herself under her pillow to block out the sound.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy."

Emma could be so demanding. And right now she needed her mother's full attention. Why? Maura had no idea. Groaning she pulled away the pillow and glared daggers at her daughter.

"Do you know how..." she started but was interrupted by her little one.

"She is gone." Emma just said and bolted from the room. "Who?" Maura yelled after her but then it began dooming. She meant Jane. But how could? She shook of that thought grabbed her robe and pulled it over her shorts and tank top and ran after her daughter.

When she reached the guest bedroom downstairs the door was wide open and the sun streaming through the soft apricot curtains. Emma just stood there and pointed towards the empty but made bed.

Maura could sense the sadness that was written all over her little daughter. She crouched down and embraced her. The little girl had, like she herself, formed a sort of connection to that woman. They didn't know her, anything about her, but Jane had managed to cast a spell over those two Isles women.

Maura didn't know what to say so she let go of her daughter petted her head and kissed her cheek. "I don't know why she is gone baby, but at least we know she is better, huh?" she said and Emma only shrugged her shoulders. How was it possible to get attached in such a short notice without even knowing a person, except for the name. The little girl bolted from the room and headed for the kitchen.

Maura sighed and turned to sit in the rocking chair when she noticed a piece of paper sitting on it. She grabbed it unfolded it and took a seat. A small smile crept up her face when she read the few lines.

_Dear Maura Isles,_

_Thank you for helping me out and letting me stay at your house. _

_Lt. Jane Rizzoli_

It was only a short message but at least she hadn't left without a word. Maura folded the piece of paper and put in the pocket of her robe. She shook her head and left the room. Lt. Jane Rizzoli. A Marine of a higher ranking in her house, sick and wounded. She shuddered as she remembered the landscape of scars covering her body. Her whole left side had been covered in burn scars. She knew what that meant. She must have been in an explosion. An explosion that had destroyed her left leg beyond repair. But the scar on her face told her a completely different story. It was from an inflicted cut, a deep one, from hunting knife.

Maura poured herself a cup of coffee and her daughter a glass of milk. She wondered what this woman must have been through over there. She remembered it all from her dead husband and he never had been fit for the army.

"Do you think we will see her again?" She was pulled out of her thoughts and looked down to her daughter smiling softly. She didn't knew it, but she definitely wished for it.

"I don't know honey. I don't know." She sighed and opened the door to the front porch.

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**So there is a little Dari or Persian in here. The first on means: get up, the second one: what's your name? and the third one: what you're doing here?**

**If you liked it you know what to do^^**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. Another One. Just a little Jane time^^**

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Chapter 5

When Jane woke up she again was overwhelmed by the feeling of panic. The sun was streaming through the curtains dancing on her now exposed skin. After blinking several times she could clear the fog in her brain. A woman, a blond woman, a blond beautiful woman had sat next to her when she had woken up for the first time. Maura Isles, that was the name of the blond beautiful woman. She smiled to herself. She always wanted to wake up next to such a woman but not like that.

With one quick pull and the IV catheter was off her hand, she entangled herself from the white sheets and steadied herself as a wave of dizziness hit her. She had to get out of here. Panic was all so present nowadays when she was in situations she couldn't control and right now she was out of control.

She undid the bandage from her stump and inspected it. It hurt and was red but she had to ignore it right now. She needed to get out of here. Slowly she rose from the bed and hobbled over to her duffle bag. She sat down on the small chair and searched for her stump sock. When she had found it she put it on her stump and grabbed the prosthesis. She pulled the shaft over the stump and fastened it. Ready to go. It hurt when she got up but pain was something she was used to, it had become a part of her life now. She stripped down the t-shirt she was wearing, gently folded it and placed it on the table. Then she grabbed her combat trousers and lipped into them. After that she pulled over a dirty smelly tank top and put on her dress blouse. She hated it, but she had nothing else to wear. She definitely needed some money and therefore a job. She sighed and ran a hand through her unruly hair. Money, which she had enough, at home in Boston. She shook that thought off and made the bed, grabbed her duffle bag and was out of the front door before anyone in this house woke up.

When she had left the Isles' farm she had decided to follow the river further until a town would come up. She was lucky though after half an hour she crossed a street sign "Welcome to Ashland City". She smiled and decided to head into town. Maybe she could find a possibility to earn a little money.

She walked along the right side of the road when she heard someone honk. She turned around to see a police car. Ignoring it she walked ahead but the officer honked again. She took a deep breath, stopped and turned around.

A black man opened the driver side and walked around the hood. Jane looked down not to reveal her face right away. She pulled her cap further into her face.

"Is there a problem officer?" she asked grabbing further onto the straps of her bag. She could hear the man chuckle. Curious she looked up to see a handsome black man standing in front of her. If he was shocked by Jane's look he didn't show it.

"No Ma'am." he said and held out his hand to shake. "Excuse my manners." he said. "Sheriff Barry Frost." Jane took it reluctantly and shook it. "Lieutenant Jane Rizzoli." she answered and released his hand. The sheriff smiled at her and took off his uniform hat. "I wanted to ask you if you need a ride into town. It isn't common for this region that Marines wander around." Jane blushed slightly and shifted weight onto her right leg. The left one still hurt like bitch.

"Oh. That is very kind of you to offer but..." she said but Barry interrupted her. "Great." he said and opened the trunk. "You can put your duffle back in here." Jane blinked several times. She didn't want to be impolite so she nodded and put her stuff in the trunk.

The car ride was dominated by Sheriff Frost's stories about Ashland city. He had sensed after the first questions that Lt. Rizzoli wasn't one to share much about herself. The "city" was more like a town. It hadn't even five thousand citizens but Barry seemed to be very proud to be its Sheriff. It was idyll. Sweet, cozy. Typical American small town Jane thought, where everybody knew everything about anybody. She sighed. She had run off to disappear from the surface for a while and now she crashed in a gossip town. She was soon to be number one topic. The stranger, the Marine. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that Barry had stopped in front of the local diner.

"Let's get breakfast before my shift starts." he said and got out of his car. Jane wanted to decline but it seemed that that wasn't possible with Barry Frost. So she got out of the seat stretched her right leg and grabbed her duffle from the trunk. "Thanks." she mumbled. It hadn't even taken one minute and she could sense the glares at her back. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She had tried to flee from people and now she was about to go into a crowded diner and have breakfast with a complete stranger and without any money. At least she now could test her abilities she had learned in rehab.

Sheriff Frost opened the door and waved her through. She looked down to avoid any gazes directed at her and just followed Frost to a booth at the window. She felt so out of place like a fish on land. She put her bag next to her and let her hands folded in her lap fidgeting. Barry smiled at her. "The beacon is really good and Darcy's homemade bread is just delicious. You should try." Jane just nodded, not knowing how to even pay for a cup of coffee. A young girl walked up to them and placed to cups in front of them.

"Morning Sheriff." she flirty greeted the black man. "Ma'am" she nodded towards Jane who just nodded back.

"Morning Jenny." Frost said with a broad smile on his face. "The usual and for my friend here..." He waited for Jane's response. She looked up a lightly flushed with embarrassment. "Nothing for me. I'm... I'm a little out of cash..." she cleared her throat. Barry sensed her discomfort and saved her.

"Oh that won't be any problem, right Jenny?" he said and looked up at the young blonde. Jenny nodded. "Of course. That's the least we can do for our veterans." And with those words she turned around and was off to get coffee and breakfast. Jane flinched at the word veteran. She hated it being called that, even if it was nothing but the truth.

"I'm sorry Sheriff but..." she was interrupted.

"Absolutely no problem but tell me how are you going to go on from here without any money on you?" he asked curiously and sipped on the in meantime served coffee. Jane gulped and held on to her coffee cup as life depended on it. She looked up with a slightly pained expression.

"Well..., I... I thought maybe I could offer some help..." she trailed off let her head fall into her hands and started to laugh. Barry looked at her bemused when she looked up again. "Now you think I'm a lost nutcase." She took a sip of the coffee and leaned back running a hand over her face.

"No I don't think you are a lost nutcase." he laughed and leaned back too. "You're lucky you ran into me though. Maybe I can help you out of your misery." Jane looked at him with a questioning look.

"See we have a handyman shop here in Ash and Mr. Korsak and his son always could use some help if you're up to it. Do you have handyman qualities?" he asked and took a bite of his scrambled eggs. Jenny was used to, if Sheriff Frost had company that he didn't accomplish her. But over a female soldier. She felt a jealous sting.

"Well, my father was a plumber and before I joined..." she stopped herself. "Yes I have handyman qualities."

"Good" Frost said and took another sip of his meanwhile cold coffee. "Then..." he looked at his watch. Quarter to nine. "I'm gonna drop you off at Korsak and sons after we finished here?" he said but it sounded more like a question. Jane nodded and finished her beacon and eggs. Usually she hated breakfast, but she hadn't really eaten anything not welded in and she needed the strength. Last night she had lost consciousness due to a fever which wasn't gone completely.

When Jenny came with the bill, Sheriff Frost paid and they left the diner. Jane wasn't sure what to think of that friendly black man but she sure wasn't one to trust easily after everything she had experienced. The drove less than five minutes. The shop was also a typical small town business, with old but charming shutter and flower tubs next to the door.

"Oh and if you need a place to crush for the night..." Barry shouted before he drove off, "just come by the police station. My shift ands at sic o'clock."

Jane wanted to answer him but he was already gone. She shook her head took of her cap, grabbed her duffle bag and entered the shop. It was a small one with an old counter. On the walls hung all kind of tools for sale. In the corner stood an old mower more for decoration then selling. Jane noticed all kind of tools for sale not untypically for a small town. One shop for everything. As the door closed behind her a small bell rung and an older man with grey hair and a beard stepped up from behind the shop.

"Semper Fi." he said. "What can I do for you Marine?"

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**You know what to do ;-)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey there. Life sometimes is a very crazy bitch. And I hate it. Sorry for the long wait. Please enjoy. Mary**

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Chapter 6

"Semper Fi." Jane answered nervously clutching the straps of her bag. Was this old man also a Marine? Or had he just figured out by Jane wearing the combat dress? She cleared her throat and took a step towards the counter. The older man smiled at her.

"What can I do for you..." he eyed her nametag over her right breast. "Lieutenant?" Jane blinked several times. Okay this guy definitely once had served too, or maybe one of his sons had.

"Are you Mr. Korsak?" she asked standing there and suddenly feeling very dumb. He smirked at her and supported himself on the counter. "Depends on who asks."

Jane looked at him as if she tried to figure something out. Then she couldn't help herself and saluted.

"Lieutenant Jane Rizzoli, U.S Marine Corps, Sir." He smiled at her and saluted himself. All of the tension suddenly gone Jane relaxed and smiled back at him.

"Sheriff Frost told me you are looking for someone to help you with your business, Sir." Korsak looked as if he didn't understand what the marine was trying to tell him. She sensed it and continued. "To be honest, Sir, I may need your help more than you need mine. Sheriff Frost said if I needed a job I should come by and so he dropped me off." Korsak stepped around the counter with a cane in his left hand. She started fidgeting again. She didn't know why this man was so intimidating but he reminded her of Major Cavanaugh from her last turn. A good man but strict, cold and a damn good Marines. When Korsak stood in front of her he extended his right and in offer for a shake. Jane's hands were filled so she donned her cap and shook the offered one.

"What brings you to our town? And why do you need a job, wanna settle here?" he asked with a dimpled grin. He stepped back to lean against the counter top. Jane looked him up and down to take him completely in. Other than a very obvious limp from a wound as a consequence thereof, he seemed in good shape. Jane guessed his age within the mid to late fiftieth. She nervously shifted her weight.

"Huh, Sir, I...It's embarrassing, really but, I'm travelling the country and I'm..." she chuckled and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm out of cash." Hey sympathetically smiled at her and nodded.

"Do you have any experience in, well, handy jobs?" he asked and looked her up and down. "I mean no offense, sure you are strong, you are a Marine, but that..." she interrupted his speech.

"My father was a plumber. I know enough about handy work. Thanks, Sir." He smiled warmly at her nodded his approval and stepped away from the counter. Jane wasn't sure if this man even had the slightest interest in her skills. He stepped around and waved her through the backdoor. Jane wasn't sure if she should follow and where he would lead her but she complied.

"Do you have a place to stay?" he asked as they went into the back off the shop. He showed her a chair and motioned her to sit. Leaning on his cane he limped over to an at least twenty years old coffee machine and poured two cups of coffee. He placed one in front of Jane and walked over to get his own.

"Well, Sir..." she gulped. "To be honest, no I haven't got a place to stay." She looked down on the floor. It sort of felt humiliating to admit to be some sort of homeless. Well not sort of, she was. She was home and moneyless. Korsak noticed her uneasiness. He sat down opposite from her and placed the cane next to his stiff leg. She looked down on his outstretched leg and couldn't help but stare at it. Sometimes she asked herself if she would feel better if she had a hurting, stiff and mangled leg but a leg. Then she wouldn't have phantom limp pain, she wouldn't have to wear a prosthesis or use crutches. The doctors in Germany had told her it had been the only option for her to be saved, to cut off her leg. Her gaze wandered from Mr. Korsak's leg to her own where she rubbed unconsciously her own thigh. Korsak cleared his throat when he noticed Jane drifting of somewhere dark.

"Well... " he started and rubbed the back of his neck, "I have a guestroom were you could stay, at least until you have found something on your own. If that's what you want."

Jane's lips curled into a tiny smile and she nodded. " I don't want to impose, Mr..."

"Call me Vince." he smiled at her an took another sip of his coffee.

"As I said, I don't want to impose." she said and started fidgeting with her thumbs. It was a bad habit Jane hat developed from her time in high school. Not a very bright and memorable time. Vince looked up and placed his cup on the small table.

"Well you wouldn't impose. I'm offering a place to stay and a job to an Ex-Marine. Semper Fi. So, I would be hurt if you would decline this opportunity." he said, grabbed his cane and got up. Jane immediately got up herself and reached for her duffle bag.

"Come on Lieutenant. I'm gonna show you your new place to stay.

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After Emma had left for school the daily routine took its place again and Louise and Maura went to work in the barns. The Isles' family had not only horses and cows, no, they had a typical animal farm with chickens, pigs, geese and even rabbits. After Maura got her vet, she decided to turn the house and the ground around into a full functional farm. They had their own meat and milk. And Louise had laid out a beautiful vegetable garden. So they were mostly independent. Something very important for Maura after years of beating and oppression in her marriage. She only left the farm for working purpose. She earned good money as a vet but not only because she was the only one in a perimeter of 30 Miles but she was a damn good one. They also used the farm as a shelter for pets when their families would leave for vacation or otherwise. That money was used for renovation. The money she earned as a vet was saved as well as she could for Emma's education. She wanted her daughter to go to the best college after high school and not make the same fault like she had made.

She sighed. It wasn't very hot today but in the barns it was always muggy. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and stretched her back. She didn't always like the work in the barns but it had to be done. She grabbed the water bottle and took a long gulp.

"You thinkin' 'bout her?" her grandma asked. Maura shrieked and lost grip of the hayfork. It fell down with a thud.

"Louise." Maura sighed and leaned against the door, trying to slow down her heartbeat. "I told you not to sneak up on me. You know I'm very jumpy."

Yes, she knew. And she also knew the reason why her only grandchild was so spooked. Louise sat down in the hay and patted the place next to her.

"I'm sorry dear. I thought I made enough noise to let you know I'm right behind you. But you were obviously in thoughts." Maura complied and sat down next to the older woman. She grabbed the water bottle and played with its label. Yes, she had been in thoughts, like she always was. But this time her thoughts weren't dark and scary, like the most time she left for the past. No this time her thoughts were confused and curious. She wanted to know more of the strange woman they had found in her barn and she wanted to know why she had left so abruptly. But most of all she wanted to know if she would see her again.

"Yes Nana. I was thinking about her. Didn't you too?" she asked and looked up to the woman next to her. Louise just grinned and nodded. "I do, but I might guess my thoughts are of a different kind. You are your curious self. And you can't stop thinking about her." Maura sighed and ran her hand through the honey blonde curls.

"You have seen it yourself. Her body was a mess." Louise chuckled and cleared her throat.

"I wouldn't call it a mess honey. I have seen those wounds too, well it was years ago, but I can imagine what she's been through. It's definitely from a bomb. I've seen it when George came back from Vietnam and I've visited him at the Veteran center. Some had lost both legs, others had burn scars on her whole body. others had lost arms or other body parts. It had been a horrible sight for me."

The older woman sighed and blinked several times to push away the memories. Maura didn't knew much about her grandmother. Her own mother had been very young when she had given birth to her and so she grew up with her father and servants. But he never had been there for her. So Maura had raised herself. Maybe a reason for why she fell for Jack so easily. At that time she had been very naive. But she had learned her lesson in a very painful and miserable way.

"The scar on her face wasn't from the bomb." Maura stated out of the blue. Louise turned her head towards her grandchild with a questioning look.

"What?" she asked puzzled not knowing what Maura was referring to. The blond looked her the older woman in the eyes.

"She has a scar on her face from her eye to the chin. That can't be from the bomb, it must be from a hunting knife." she said and got up. Louise gathered her water bottle and the gloves and got up herself. "What do you mean by a knife?"

Maura walked towards the house and turned halfway around to face her grandmother. She again run a hand through her messy curls. "I have seen it during my residency. When they brought in the dead ones. The way they had been cut open. This scar is from a very deep cut. It wasn't just an explosion that happened to her." Maura shook inwardly not knowing why this strange soldier hat such a hold on her. But it scared her and she knew she had to see this woman again. She turned around and walked towards the house.

Louise just stood there dumbfounded not knowing what her granddaughter was referring to but she noticed the change in Maura's demeanor. If she wouldn't know for sure she would say that the Lieutenant had captured Maura's heart in very intriguing way. She smiled to herself and walked after Maura towards the house.

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